It's Life, Right?
by JenCakeLover
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia was known as a fantastic singer in the Prestigious Academy for Gifted Students. But after being sabotaged in a National Singing Competition, and being beaten up by her strict father, she runs away and enrolls herself into Magnolia High. What problems will await her? What will happen if she suddenly falls in love with the most popular guy in school?
1. Chapter 1

I took a deep breath and peered over the soft, red velvet curtain. Thousands upon thousands of people were seated in the large theater, all waiting patiently for the competition to begin. A few whispers could be heard here and there, but other than that, I am certain that I heard a pin drop. I scanned the crowd, silently hoping that my father wasn't seated in one of those chairs. _If he was here, I would probably pee in my pants! _I thought to myself exasperatedly. After I made sure that he wasn't there, I placed my head back inside the large curtain where I found myself surrounded by the smell of sweat and bad breath. Someone needs a mint.

I scanned the people surrounding me. Everyone was scurrying around, doing voice warm ups and make up. _Don't worry, Lucy, _I told myself. _Everything is going to be fine. _I was about to call my best friend Flare- a creepy (yet sweet) red headed girl who I met ever since I was in Preschool—until a loud voice boomed my name. "Lucy! I was looking everywhere for you!"

I slightly turned around and saw a tall, black haired lady wearing a ridiculous outfit. She was wearing an extremely short blue dress with a large, violet heart printed on her chest. A white, furry scarf adorned her shoulders and she wore dark, witch-like makeup. On her feet were these killer high heels that matched the color of her dress. Seeing her wear those shoes vaguely made her look like a tall, menacing wolf.

"Uhm…" I started, still eyeing her attire. "You are?" I asked, trying very hard not to sound rude. If my father was to be here, he would've smacked me upside the head for having such a poor and rude choice of words. The lady in front of me shot me a cruel-looking grin. "Hello, my dear. My name is Minerva. I was just walking around, meeting all of my dear competitors! I have heard a lot about you… Lucy Heartfilia. You're listed as one of the most gifted students in all of Crocus, and, might I mention, begged to attend the Prestigious Academy for Gifted Students 4 years ago. It's certainly not surprised that I would find you here in the National Competition in all of Fiore."

I rubbed the back of my neck, a blush coating my cheeks. I didn't know that so much people knew about me. "W-well…" I stammered. "I-it's nice to meet you, Minerva. It's an honor to be your competitor this evening!" Minerva threw her head back and let out a loud laugh. "You're such a sweetie! A perfect student with a perfect personality? I didn't know such person existed! Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy. How about we take a small toast to becoming friendly competitors? What do you say?" She picked up two fancy-looking glasses and a tiny vial that contained clear water from a nearby counter.

Minerva looked at me openly, waiting for my answer. I thought this over, darting my eyes from side to side, trying to avoid her uncomfortable gaze. I wasn't sure about this. Making a toast before a singing competition? It was really risky. And I barely knew the girl. What if she put something in the glass to sabotage me, or something? _No, Lucy. She's a nice person. She just wants to have a friendly toast before the show, _I convinced myself. As if reading my mind, Minerva spoke up.

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad!"

I sighed heavily, and reached for a glass. "Okay…" She offered me a big smile, opened up the tiny vial, and poured a bit of the liquid inside my drink. She did the same with hers.

"Okay, ready?" She asked, holding out her glass. "Make sure you close your eyes when drinking the toast. I hear it's a superstition or something. I have no idea." I slowly nodded, and shyly touched my glass with hers, muttering, "Friendly competition", and closed my eyes. I tipped the glass and drank the fluid.

It tasted just like water. _See, I told you! _My inner conscience said to me. _She's a good girl! She wouldn't hurt you!_ After making sure that my glass was fully empty, I opened my eyes and found Minerva smiling at me; her glass also empty. She took the glass from me, and started to walk away. Looking over her shoulder, she shouted, "Good luck!"

"…Lucy Heartfilia!" I heard my name echo through the speakers backstage. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, and stepped onto the stage. The second the crowd saw me, screams, shouts, and whistles erupted from the crowd. Scanning my eyes thoroughly across the crowd, I did not see the face of my father. From that, my heart rate calmed just a little bit, and the announcer handed me the microphone.

The intro started, and I took a deep breath. When it was my turn to sing, I closed my eyes, opened my mouth, and started to softly sing the lyrics.

It wasn't long until I opened my eyes, and saw the crowd staring at me, their mouths agape. _What?_ I wondered to myself. _Why are they like that? _I looked at the backstage entrance and saw Minerva wearing an evil smirk. _I don't get it… What's happening? Do they not like my voice? Am I singing the wrong lyrics? No… I made sure that I got the lyrics right the night before! Why are they looking at me like I'm some type of criminal?! _I stopped singing and signaled the backstage crew to stop the music.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentleman." I started to say. The only problem was that I couldn't hear my voice. I opened my mouth to say, "Hello?" only to hear the heavy weight of silence. _W-was I not projecting any sound since the moment I walked upon the stage?! _I silently panicked. What happened to my voice?!

After what felt like years, two people silently lead me backstage, and I heard the announcer say, "Uhm, I am sorry to say this, but we were, uhm, experiencing technical difficulties with the microphones… Yeah… That was it… So just sit tight, go grab a snack or whatever, and please wait patiently until we get everything sorted out. Thank you."

_So it was just the microphone… Right? Then why didn't I still hear my own voice even without the mike? _I thought to myself quizzically. A sound of footsteps interrupted my thinking. I turned around and was met with Minerva, still wearing that cruel smirk. "You still didn't figure it out, hon?" She let out a small laugh. "And I thought you were smart. Well, rumors are rumors, right?" She said innocently.

"Well, if you're not going to find out any time soon, I'll just straight out tell you." She cleared her throat as if mocking my inability to speak.

"First off, I hate you." She deadpanned. I was taken aback. What did I even do to her?!

"Second off… That drink I gave you? Yeah, that was a special present from my dear friend that has the ability to block out your…" She paused. "Actually, let me stick to some easy words, since you're too dumb to figure out anything. That drink can make you go mute for an hour at the maximum. So basically, you just blew your chance to win at this competition. Not only that—you also humiliated yourself in front of the whole world since I uploaded your little "show" on YouTube. You're welcome."

After studying my face, which probably displayed absolute hate and disbelief, she laughed- no, cackled—and slowly walked away from me, obviously pleased.

_Shit, _I thought. _What is my dad going to do about this?!_

**And that was my first chapter—not to mention my first fanfic! I really hope that you guys like it, and make sure you leave a review or something. XD I'll make sure that I'll update this soon, because I sure know how it feels when my favorite stories aren't updated right away. **

**Until next time!**

**~JenCakeLover 3**


	2. Chapter 2

I looked out the car window and saw the trees, signs, and cars passing by. I sighed. An hour finally passed since Minerva gave me that strange drink. "Capricorn…" I said.

"Is there anything you need, Lucy-sama?" He asked, looking over his shoulder from the driver's seat. He turned his head back towards the road and continued to drive to the Heartfilia Estate. "H-how…" I stammered. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nervousness once again. "How do you think father will take this? He's really strict… And he always gets mad whenever I fail at something… Do you think that he might do something bad to me?" I asked him, my voice quivering a bit.

Ever since my mom passed away six years after I was enrolled in the Prestigious Academy for Gifted Students, my father always pushed me to be the best.

_Ten years ago, Lucy's family was impeccably perfect. They never fought and they always wore smiles on their faces whenever they were together. Lucy's family was also wealthy. They had everything an average family needed—and even more—to survive. _

_Lucy's father always made time for her. He valued her mom and her more than he valued anything else in the world. He always had that sparkle of love in his eyes whenever he laid eyes on them. He was protective, but not too protective. He was the best father anyone could ever ask for. Lucy's family was the best family anyone could ever ask for. _

_However, not everyone's Nirvana lasts forever. _

"_Mom, look! Look what I made! Do you like it?!" Lucy took her mother's hand and pulled her to the small, wooden coffee table located in the middle of the living room, sitting upon a large, soft and furry beige rug that complimented the pearly white walls, and wooden floor._

_The coffee table was buried in a heap of paper, crayons, and markers. The one that stood out the most was a small, colorful card that had big and messy red black writing that said: "I LUV U MAMA AND DADDY!" Under the large writing were a small picture of three stick figures; a woman, a man, and a little child all linking hands. _

_Layla Heartfilia, the mother of a 7-year-old Lucy smiled gratefully at her daughter. With her slender hands, she picked up the card made by her adorable child and opened the card. Inside, it read, "THANK U 4 BEING THE MOST BESTEST PARENTS EVER! I AM HAPPY THAT U REMEMBEREED BY BIRTHDAY!" Layla laughed softly and shifted her eyes from the card to her daughter, who was looking at her with wide, shining eyes, hoping that her dear mother liked the card she made with her sweat and tears. _

_Thanking her daughter and giving her a kiss on her forehead, Layla and Lucy held hands and walked along the halls, heading to their father's office where he was working busily. After a few minutes walking about in the large mansion, they appeared in front of a pair of two large oak doors that was apparently the entrance to the office Lucy's father was currently in. _

_Layla stepped up and knocked gently on the door. After hearing their permission to enter, they both opened the double doors and quietly went in. _

_There was a large, wooden desk in the center of the room that faced the door. Behind the desk was a large window that overviewed the whole estate. Along the walls were pictures of Lucy's ancestors, gently being caressed by some fancy, golden frames._

_Sitting behind the desk was a blonde man, cradling his head in his hands. Upon the desk were many stacks of paper that needed signing. He was fully absorbed in his work, and didn't realize that there were two people standing before him. _

"_Honey, is everything okay?" Layla finally decided to break the heavy silence and stress in the air that Jude Heartfilia was emitting. _

_As if finally realizing that someone was speaking to him, Jude looked up, and was met with his most precious family he adored and cared for. His eyes filled with pride and love, and he suddenly forgot about all of the stacks of papers piling up before him. "Layla, Lucy, how are you two doing? I'm so sorry I haven't spent much time with you two… The company is not at its best." Noticing that Lucy was carrying a small card, he perked up. _

"_What do you have there, kiddo?"_

_Lucy's face spilt into a wide smile and she held out the card for her father to fully view. "It's a card that I made for you and mommy! I wanted to thank you two for remembering my birthday, so I came up with this! Do you like it, daddy?" Lucy patiently waited for an answer from her father, her smile never faltering._

_Jude let out a small laugh and gently took the card from Lucy to read it. "It's the best card in the world, kiddo! Mommy and daddy says thank you." He said with a genuine smile. _

_Layla, who was witnessing her daughter and husband's adorable exchange, smiled softly at her daughter. She could never be happier than she was now. "Jude, how about we go out with Lucy to buy her some ice cream? I promised her last week, but we never got the chance to go!" _

_Jude sent Layla a sad smile. "Sorry Layla, but I really need to finish all of the work that I forgot to do. I would love to come, though… How about you take Lucy out for ice cream without me? Would that be okay, kiddo?" _

_After being a bit reluctant, Lucy said that it would be okay to go out without her father. _

_The bell dinged, signaling that a new costumer has arrived in the ice cream store. Layla and Lucy happily waited their turn in line, choosing which flavor they would prefer on this hot, sunny day. _

"_What flavor would you like, sweetie?" Layla asked her daughter, peering down at her. Lucy sighed sadly, burying her face into her small hands. "I don't know, mommy! There are just so much options! I love them all…" Layla covered her mouth and giggled softly. Her daughter was just too cute! Studying the menu above the counter, she suggested, "You always love cookie dough ice cream. Would you like that flavor?" Lifting her head up from her hands, she grinned. "You always know what to pick, mommy!"_

_As if on cue, a man with red, spiky hair emerged from the counter. He wore a large grin that probably took up half his face, and was wearing a blue and red striped uniform with a matching hat that wore the shop's logo. Seeing Layla's face, his eyes shone in excitement. "I was waiting for you to come and visit us, Layla! I was afraid you'd never come!" He said, excitement obviously heard in his voice. _

_Lucy was confused._

_Who was this man? How did her mom know him? _

Is… Is mommy cheating on daddy?! _Lucy thought, inwardly panicking. _

_I know what you're probably thinking. Lucy knows __a lot__ of things an average 7-year-old shouldn't know. Don't blame her; she loves the romance novels her mother reads her!_

_As if reading her mind, Layla threw her head back and laughed joyfully. _

"_Sweetie, this is Igneel. He's my childhood friend!" _

"_Yo." Igneel simply stated._

_Lucy's shoulders relaxed, understanding the whole situation._

"_H-hi…" She greeted back shyly. Igneel smiled at her, and resumed started to have a short conversation with Layla. Lucy fidgeted around, clearly uncomfortable with this strange atmosphere. She just wanted ice cream, after all. She was about to take a seat on one of the store's chairs until Layla gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Sweetie, Igneel apparently has a son that is the same age as you! How about we go to the Dragneels' house and bond as two families? Would you like that?" Layla said enthusiastically. Feeling as if her mother's happiness was contagious, she nodded excitedly and jumped up and down. She was going to make a new friend!_

_Feeling worn out and tired from the hours spent by talking (in Lucy's case, listening) to Igneel, it was about 6:00 pm and the two females were way too tired to walk back home. And so they called their trustful driver, Capricorn. He has worked for the Heartfilia residence 1 year before Lucy was born. _

_And so, in a matter of minutes, a large, black, shiny car pulled over right into the curb. A window was rolled down, and the mother and daughter saw a large, buff man with black shades, wearing a fancy suit. _

"_You called, Mrs. Layla?" Layla shot Capricorn a playful look. "Capricorn, I told you not to call me that! Just 'Layla' is fine, okay?" Capricorn shrugged. "My apologies, Mrs. Layla, it's a habit that is very hard to break." Layla sighed exasperatedly, but climbed in the car with no complaints. After Lucy got in the backseat, Capricorn went back on the road, and headed toward the estate. _

_Lucy fell asleep. In the middle of her small nap, she was awakened by a high-pitched scream coming from her usually calm and collected mother. Slowly opening her eyes, she scanned her surroundings, trying to recollect her thoughts. As soon as she realized what was going on, it was too late. _

_A car came zooming towards the right side of the car, and crashed into the passenger seat. Lucy, Capricorn, and Layla jerked to the left. No one spoke. Every car just looked blankly at the 3 unfortunate people who were affected in this accident. _

_The force of the accident flipped Capricorn's car on its side, and the car who hit them just zoomed away, trying to save their own luck. I was a hit and run._

_The world was silent, all except for one, sobbing little girl, crying her heart out. "M-mommy… C-Capricorn… Wake up!" Lucy hiccupped, taking off her seatbelt and climbing out the window. Everything ached, her head was throbbing, her knees were buckling, and her ribs were screaming in agony. It hurt to even move a finger. _

_Ignoring the pain, Lucy limped to the windshield and kicked it open, mustered what little strength she had left, and kicked the glass until it broke. _

"_M-mommy… Capricorn… Someone help me!" She forced herself to keep going, but her consciousness was slipping away. Grabbing her mom's hand, she pulled it towards her, and started to get her out of the wrecked car. Once fully out, she grabbed her mother by the shoulders and shook her violently, hoping that she will wake up. "Mommy, help me get Capricorn! Let's all go home together!" _

_Her eyes brimmed with tears once again, finally understanding that she'll have to be the one who will do all the work. She took her mother's phone from Layla's purse and dialed her father, and the ambulance. "D-dad… Help us! Mommy won't wake up, and I can't get Capricorn out of the car!" _

_Jude was confused. Layla was sleeping, and Capricorn has a not-so-secret affair with the car? What the heck? "Kiddo, tell me what exactly happened." Hearing Lucy's faint sobs getting louder, she spoke, "A-a car h-hit us…" Jude's eyes widened. "Okay, kiddo, did anyone nearby try and help?"_

_Lucy observed her surroundings, sniffling. The road that was once full of cars was completely empty. _Where did all of the cars go? Did they just leave?! _Lucy thought, trying to suck in the tears that were threatening to spill once again. "N-no daddy… There are no cars here…" she trembled, and heard her father curse under his breath. "Don't worry kiddo; daddy is coming to the rescue." _

**ITALIC EVERYWHEREEEE. Sorry if this was kind of boring. I really, realllyyy want to skip to all the NaLu stuff, but I have to introduce everything, and it's just taking so long. TT^TT I really hope that I'll introduce Natsu in the story in the next chapter, since I make the chapters extra long. Heh, that's how I like it XD I tried really hard to update this as soon as possible for you guys! So yeah, let's hope that it gets more exciting in the future, because this chapter wasn't really something that I would want to read over and over again. **** Sorry…**

**Also, I'd like to dedicate this to 3131182 and FTDragonSlayer! If you'd like a dedication, or shout-out, just PM me and I'll gladly do it! **** Feel free to leave a review and I'll probably try to update tomorrow again!**

**Until next time!**

**~JenCakeLover**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my goodness. Long time, ay? I'M SO SORRY, HAHAH CX I kinda lost inspiration, and when I did gain inspiration, I was just way too lazy to write a whole chapter XD HAHA. But, uhm, I'm here, so yaayy c: This chapter is dedicated to my best friends cause she was the one who kept bugging me to write another chapter. =.= Yep. **

**And plus, I'm actually so impatient when it comes to introducing everything at the start of a story. Anyone relate? **

**ONTO THE CHAPTERR!**

* * *

Lucy looked out the window, observing the changing landscape right before her eyes. The car was silent. Lucy held back all of the emotions she felt from that memory.

"'_As a Heartfilia, you cannot lose to anyone! You must be the best; the one and only. Every Heartfilia's goal in life is to be legendary, and superior.'_". Jude Heartfilia's words echoed in Lucy's mind.

"I lost the competition, Capricorn. I humiliated myself. I humiliated the family." she reasoned, still imagining the worst thing that her Father could do to her. What if he chained her in the cold, dark, and lonely basement, supplying her with nothing but dirty water?! _Oh gosh..._ Lucy thought to herself, panicking. Sweat was starting to drip from her forehead.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Lucy-sama. I knew your father for many, many years. He always considers people's situations no matter what." Capricorn said, giving me a gentle smile.

Lucy looked down, staring at her lap.

"Yeah..." she agreed, holding in her breath. _Maybe he will understand!_ She tried to reassure herself. _I'll tell him everything that happened before he finds out himself! He'll understand for sure!_ Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, finally believing that everything will be fine.

* * *

Lucy walked into the large mansion belonging to the Heartfilias and took a deep breath.

"Father?" she called, wondering if Jude was home. _I have to tell him about the competition before he finds out himself. That way, he won't be as mad!_ Lucy thought, as she told herself what she was going to do.

Suddenly, a set of footsteps were heard stomping upstairs.

"Father, is that you? I need to tell you something!" Lucy's palms started to sweat. _I can do this. I can't back down now._ Soon after, a tall man in a brown suit with a yellow tie with matching hair walked smoothly down the long flight of marbled stairs. He wore a big, serious frown with glinting eyes that demanded business. Lucy's eyes widened. Jude Heartfilia was not a happy man at this hour.

"Oh! Father! How was work? When did you arrive?" She stalled, her confident aura quickly disappearing right on that spot.

She watched as her father walked towards her, keeping his calm impression. He was totally ignoring her questions!

By now, Jude Heartfilia's shadow was hovering threateningly over Lucy's small frame.

"Are you okay, Father?" Lucy asked, now shivering by the tension in the air. "Do you need anything? I can ask a maid to assist you."

"Shut up." Jude's low, harsh voice bellowed and echoed throughout the whole mansion. Lucy stepped back in fright, silently hoping that her Father did not find out about the competition just yet.

Time slowed down. The next thing Lucy knew, she flew to the entrance door; her back making an unfriendly contact with the hard material. She screamed, feeling some bones crack from the large force that pushed her. Lucy slowly slid down the wall, her cheek and back aching at the sudden incident.

There Jude was, his hand raised, glaring malevolently at Lucy. He just slapped his own daughter.

However, that wasn't the end of Lucy's pain. Jude kept hitting her, and kicking her as hard as he could, receiving Lucy's loud screeches in return. In a matter of seconds, all of the maids and butlers gathered around to check what all the ruckus was, soon gasping in horror from the sight.

As much as each maid and butler wanted to help sweet, dear Lucy, they couldn't even if they tried. Jude Heartfilia was the boss. One disobedient servant can cost a life; whether it's gradually, or abruptly. To what felt like hours, the harsh punishment stopped. All that was heard in the main foyer was Jude's heavy breathing, and Lucy's small whimpers.

Breaking the deadly silence, Jude spoke, "You are no longer a Heartfilia. You are no longer my daughter. Starting tomorrow at 7 am, you will work as a maid here for no cash in return. I will also pull you out of the Prestigious Academy for Gifted Students permanently. Go up to your room and clean up your stuff. You will no longer be sleeping there, either. You'll be sleeping in the dirty basement. You have embarrassed our family." Sending Lucy one more glare, he turned and headed towards the stairs. Abruptly stopping to speak to Mrs. Spetto, he says, "You will be training her tomorrow morning."

After disappearing from Lucy's sight, she began to softly weep while curling up into a ball as if trying to make herself small to the point where she just vanishes. _How could I possibly forget?_ Lucy thought, not bothering to dry her eyes. _I always believe that my father's coldness towards me was a dream. I always believe that my mother's death wasn't real. But it __is__ real. It always was. And I can't change it no matter what I do._

* * *

_ Sirens were sounding everywhere. The bright, flashing colors were too much for little Lucy. _

_ "Lucy, Lucy! Oh God. Lucy. Shit." Jude came running towards Lucy, once again swearing under his breath. He ran and engulfed little Lucy with a big, warm hug that calmed Lucy's waterworks. "Don't worry," Jude soothed. "Daddy's here. It's all going to be good now. Shhh," _

_ "D-d-daddy... I-I'm fine... G-go wake up Mommy first, and help Capricorn!" Little Lucy pointed towards her mother, who was lying on the hard cement with pale skin. She was barely breathing, and her usual golden hair wasn't as shiny and welcoming. Little Lucy then shifted her hand towards Capricorn who had his face buried on the hood of the car. _

_ Right on time, an ambulance arrived and carried Layla and Capricorn away on two stretchers. _

_ Since then, Jude and little Lucy visited Layla and Capricorn at the hospital. After 1 week, Capricorn was good and well, but Layla was sadly in a coma. Because of that, Jude suffered for 5 months, shutting himself in his office working non-stop. He became grouchy and stressed. His mood affected everyone in the Heartfilia mansion, and it just made the wait for Layla's wake more painful and frustrating. _

_ Sadly, the worst case scenario that everyone hoped didn't happen did, in fact, occur. Layla Heartfilia soon passed away, which brought tears to everyone's eyes— especially little Lucy. After, all Jude cared about was his job and nothing else. He held a grudge towards Lucy just because she had a splitting image of Layla. The Heartfilia estate went from joy and love to sadness and frustration._

* * *

Throwing all of her pictures in a large box, Lucy proceeded to clean out her room sadly, sniffling from the past events that happened. Everything ached, but she forced herself to keep going. Heaving a large sigh at the large vacant room, she looked out the tall window and saw how big the town was. _That's it,_ Lucy thought to herself, wiping away her tears, gaining a surge of confidence within her. _This is not a home to me anymore! I'll just take what I need, and move somewhere else. I'll be my own family. I'm going to learn to be independent. I'm 17... I think it's time for me to learn. _

Lucy picked up a large backpack in one of the nearby boxes and packed up clothes, hygiene supplies, and one picture of her _ex_-family. Opening the window and placing a foot on the window sill, Lucy stopped. "Wait," she said under her breath. "I need money." Searching around in all of the boxes, Lucy found a small, wooden brown box with a fancy, intricate black handle. Lucy's breath hitched the moment her eyes laid on the small box.

_I remember this..._ She thought, slowly opening the box. A whole stash of money was neatly placed in the box, filling up the whole container. "I remember! Mom gave this to me for my 5th birthday and told me to hide it somewhere safe..." Lucy smiled gratefully at the box of money, quietly thanking her mom for her thoughtfulness.

Tucking the box deep inside the large backpack, Lucy jumped out of the window, setting off into the evening landscape. _Magnolia, here I come!_ Lucy thought excitedly, totally forgetting about her aching body. Her energetic self ran all the way to the train station.

* * *

**I really feel like the ending of this chapter was a bit rushed and not detailed enough, but I can't help it, okay? I just want Natsu to come in the story so I can go into the OTP stuff ^^ Ahhh, I swear. The next chapter will have Natsu in it for sure. Promise c: **

**Thanks for reading my chapter (and waiting for it to come cx)!**

**~JenCakeLover 3 **


End file.
